The Whitney Wyndham Hotel

This boutique hotel occupies an elaborate Beaux-Arts building that housed a branch of the Whitney National Bank for decades. Original millwork and fixtures on the ground floor have been carefully preserved and showcased in the designs, and the bank's original vault has been converted into a private dining room. You can also dine at Bistreaux at the Bank for locally inspired cuisine. The upper floors had to be completely redone to accommodate guest rooms, which are reached via narrow, zigzagging halls. Accommodations are small, though pleasantly decorated. Handsome furnishings are mostly in dark woods and soothing beiges, whites and browns. Bathrooms are done in marble and granite. The lack of a pool and the small fitness center make the hotel less desirable for exercise aficionados, but it benefits from a location within the Central Business District, and free Internet is a plus.

On the bottle of this inventive brew, you'll find a hand-scrawled "Weedwacker" label hastily pasted over the word "Lawnmower" — an allusion to the fact that the beer shares a recipe with Saint Arnold's best-selling Fancy Lawnmower.

On the bottle of this inventive brew, you'll find a hand-scrawled "Weedwacker" label hastily pasted over the word "Lawnmower" — an allusion to the fact that the beer shares a recipe with Saint Arnold's best-selling Fancy Lawnmower.